Shoe-lacing device



Dec. 29I 1925- l 1,567,651

J. A. KAYE j SHOE LACING DEVICE` Filed August 22, 1925 wva'ntoz. w- JI/-LKatL/Q l atto: www5 iff Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

JOHN ARTDUR KAYE, Gli SAULT STE. MAR'LE. ONTARIO, CANADA.

SEIOE-LACNGr DEVICE.

Application led leugnet 22, 1925. Serial No. 51,799.

To all 107mmt may concern.'

ABe it known that l, JOHN A. Kan, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Sault Ste. Marie, in the Province of @ntario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful linprevements in Shoe-Lacing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a novel form of fastening` for connecting the uppers of boots and shoes in such a manner that the fastening can be almost instantly released at any timea thereby avoiding the annoyance and loss of time which is incident .to lacing and unlacing articles of footwear in the usual manner.

nrther objects of the linvention are to provide a device of this character which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be readily applied to ordinary forms of boots and shoes, which provides an attractive closure simulating in general the appearance of shoe laces, and which can be quickly manipulated to open or close the article of footwear almost instantaneously.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings7 in which,

Figure l is an elevation of a shoe which is provided with a fastening device constructed in accordance with the invention, the fastener being shown by full lines in operative position and by dotted lines in inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through the fastening device and portions of the shoe uppers on the line 2-2 of Fignre l.

Figure 3 is a detail view of one of the channel guide elements which are applied to the two uppers of the shoe.

Figure l is an end View of channel guides and a portion of the slide showing the stop members for limiting the downward movement of the slide and one of the hook members for locking the against downward movement.

Correspoiuling and like parts are refi-nred to in the following description and indicated on all of the views of the drawing hy like reference characters.

Referring to the drawings@ the reference character A designates the front portion of a shoe which is proyided with the 115ml one el the slide uppers 1 of the form which are ordiinirily connected by means of the conventional shoe lacing. According to the present invention a channel shaped guide 2 is secured to each of the uppers and said guides have a spaced and substantially parallel relation when the uppers are held together in a. clog'ed position. These channel shaped guide members 2 may be formed of any suit able material such as sheet metal, although they are preferably constructed so that they are flexible and can bend somewhat to conform to the shape of the foot as may be necessary when the shoe is being` worn.

A skeleton slide B is provided to 'engage the guide members 2 and cooperate therewith to hold the shoe in a closed position. rlhe skeleton slide comprises oppositely inclined intersecting bars 3 which are connected at their meeting ends and intermediate portions so that they have somewhat tl e general appearance assumed by shoe laces when the shoe is closed. At the sides of the slide the meeting ends of the bars 3 are provided with pins having heads 4L which are slidably received Within the channel shaped guides 2. At the ends of the slides the inclined bars 3 are connected by the cross loars 5 which serve to lock the bars against pivotal movement about their connections with each other.

lVhen the slide is in operative position, as indicated by full lines on Figure l, the shoe uppers l are held together so that the shoe is closed in the usual manner. In order to open the shoe it is merely necessary to give the slide a quick movement downwardly into the position indicated by dotted lines on Figure 1. rlhe guides 2 are then only connected at their lower ends by the slide and the upper ends thereof can be moved apart to open the shoe in the usu al manner.

The upper ends of the channel shaped guides i). may be closed, as indicated at (l, to limit the upward movement of the slide, and when the slide has reached the limit of its upward movement to close the ahorn locking members 7 which are pivotally von.. nectcd to the upper cross bar may be nioved into a hooked engagement with the upper ends of the guides thereby rendering it impossible for the shoe fastening device to become accidentally released.

In order to open the shoe the locking members 'i' .are rst swung into an lwpery lll) ative position and the slide then pulled downwardly over the vamp of the shoe, the flexible metal of the slide enabling it to bend readily as may be necessary to assume this position. lVhen the slide reaches the limit of its downward movement lateral projections 8 at the upper end thereof engage projections 9 at the lower ends of the guides 2, thereby preventing the slide from being pulled entirely out of position when it is moved downwardly. The device can be quickly manipulated to move the slide into either an operative position or an inoperative position, thereby enabling the shoe to be quickly closed or opened and while the device is ornamental and simulates the general appearance of shoe laces it avoids the annoyance and loss of time which is incident to lacing and unlac-ing the shoe.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

l. A shoe fastening device comprisinglongitudinal guide sti-ins adapted to be secured to the shoe uppers on opposite sides of the opening, a slide formed of oppositely inclined intersecting bars rigidly connected to each other and simulating` the appearance of shoe lacing, studs connecting the ends of the bars at the edges of the slide and slidably engaging the guide strips to admit of the slide being moved longitudinally thereof into and out of operative position, the slide spanning the opening between the uppers when it is in operative position, and means for holding` the slide in operative position.

2. il shoe fastening device c miprisingv elongated channel shaped guide strips which are adapted to be applied to the opposed edge portions of the shoe uppers, a slide provided at the edges thereof with headed studs which are adapted to engage the channel shaped guide strips to admit of the slide being moved into and ont of operative position, the slide spanning the opening between the uppers when it is in -operative position, and locking members mounted upon the slide and adapted to engage the guide strips to hold the slide in operative position.

3. A shoe fastening device comprising elongated channel shaped guide strips which are adapted to be applied to the opposed edge portions of shoe uppers, a slide provided at the edges thereof with headed studs which slidably engage the channel shaped guide strips to admit of the slide being moved into and out of operative position, the slide spanning the opening between the uppers when it is in operative position, and hook members carried by the vslide and adapte-d to engage the ends of the guide strips to hold the slide in operative position. el. A shoe fastening device comprising channel shaped guide strips adapted to be applied to the opposed edges of shoe uppers, lateral projections at the lower ends of the guide strips, a slide provided at the edges thereof with headed studs adapted to slidably engage the guide strips to admit of the slide being moved into and out of operative position, and lateral arms at the upper end of the slide which curve around the sides of the guide strips and are arranged for engagement with the before mentioned lateral arms of the guide strips to limit the downward movement of the slide.

5. A. shoe fastening' device comprising channel shaped guide strips adapted to be applied to the opposed edges of the uppers and provided at their lower ends with lateral arms, a slide formed of oppositely inclined intersecting bars which are rigidly connected and simulate shoe laces in appearance, headed studs connecting` the bars at the edges of the slide and adapted to engage the channel guide strips to admit of the slide being' moved into and out of operative position, the slide spanning the space between the uppers when it is in operative position, locking members mounted on the upper end of the slide and adapted to engage the ends of the guide strips to loch the slide in operative position, and lateral arms projecting from the upper end of the slide and extending around the guide strips for engagement with the before mentioned lateral projections thereon to limit the downward movement of the slide.

In testimony whereof affix my signafiture.

JOHN ARTHUR KAYE. 

